9 Months, 333 Days, 7992 Hours
by MyMelo
Summary: Follow Lily and James through the whole nine months of Lily's pregnancy, mood swings, cravings and weird sleeping patterns just to name a few. First ever HP fic, please R&R.
1. First Month

**A/N:** Hey everyone! This is my first ever Harry Potter fic, so I'd really appreciate any sort of feedback!

This is for **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me and coz she's cool ^^

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anything

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**First Month**

Lily was starting to panic slightly. Her period had never been this late before, what was wrong with her? Suddenly, she felt like she was going to be sick again, and ran for the bathroom; it was the third time that week now. Lily thought several options in her head. She didn't think it was the flu; the nausea came in waves, and it wasn't some kind of food poisoning either. Being the clever woman that she was, Lily eventually came to one conclusion.

She was _pregnant._

How was she going to tell James? Would he be angry with her? What if he didn't want a baby? Obviously, they hadn't been planning to have a child so soon, with the war going on, but now that she was pregnant, she was going to keep the baby, no matter what James's reaction would be.

"Lily! I'm home!" James's voice came from the living room. Seeing Lily's expression of terror mixed with determination, James came rushing up to her. "Lily? Is something wrong? Were you sick again?"

"Jamesimpregnant", said Lily in a rush.

"What?" said James looking at Lily confused. "Relax Lily; I haven't seen you look this nervous before! Is something wrong?" he repeated again.

Taking a deep breath, Lily looked at James and said, very slowly,

"I'm pregnant."

There was silence, and then…

"REALLY? I'm going to be a dad?" said James, looking absolutely delighted.

Lily looked at James, puzzled, "You're not mad?"

"Mad?" said James looking astonished. "Why would I be mad?"

"I just thought… you know, with the war going on, and the fact that we're so young…" Lily said, trailing off.

James's voice softened. "Of course I'm not mad! This is the greatest thing that could've happened to us!" said James, giving Lily a light kiss on the lips.

Lily smiled for the first time that day. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she was pregnant after all.


	2. Second Month

**Disclaimer**: The usual

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**Second Month**

Pregnancy did not turn out to be quite as enjoyable as Lily would've liked. By the second month, the morning sickness had worsened, she tired easily, and cramps were even worse than the monthly ones she used to get. All of their family and friends had been delighted with the news of Lily's pregnancy, especially the parents of the couple, ecstatic that they were going to be grandparents in less than a year.

Sirius, of course was over the moon, and gave a very Peter-like squeal upon hearing the news. He didn't even try to hide the fact he had just made an extremely girlie sound, which goes to show just how happy he was. That or the fact that he might've had a little _too_ much firewhisky to drink that night- Sirius and firewhisky were never a good mix in the first place, especially after a break up. Usually, Sirius was the one who broke up with the girl, but this time, the girl had broken up with him, and the mixed emotions had led to a blubbering Sirius telling "Lilikins and Prongsie how they were going to be the best parents ever", but only if they named their child after him. Yes, even if the baby turned out to be a girl, she would be called Sirius too, and if Lily and James didn't, Sirius would be very, very crushed. Heartbroken in fact, which would be a hundred times as bad as what he was going through now.

--

Lily knew that she was going to love her baby very much, but as she kneeled over the toilet bowl for the third time that day, she couldn't help wonder why it was necessary for the mother to suffer so _much_ during the pregnancy. Why was it only the mother anyway? The father doesn't even have to do anything! "Stupid James" Lily mumbled to herself. "Where is he anyway?"

Exhausted, Lily made her way back to the living room, where, to her surprise, James was waiting with a huge plate of chocolate, a worried expression on his face. "Lils? Are you ok? I know you usually like to eat chocolate when you get cramps, so I thought you might need some now. Especially with the amount that's coming back out…"

Lily gave him a feeble smile, feeling extremely fortunate that she had such a caring husband, and all feelings of anger ebbing away. With her head on his shoulder, Lily nibbled quietly at the chocolate, feeling slightly happier than before. It was little things like this that Lily loved about James. Sure, he could still be a little_ too_ cocky sometimes, but he was usually very caring and sweet, and she knew that he would always be with her, no matter what.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much to the people who've alerted this story! It would be great if you could review as well, I mean, if you like it enough to put it on alert... ^^ and thank you to **tasha27** for beta-ing!

I know this is a Lily/James fic, but I just had to add the bit with Sirius in too.. what do you guys think about it?


	3. Third Month

**Disclaimer**: The usual

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**Third Month**

By the third month, Lily was now somewhat accustomed to the morning sickness; there was nothing she could do about it, really. The healer had told Lily on her last check up that the morning sickness would gradually disappear, so that was something to look forward to.

James sighed. He just couldn't deal with Lily's mood swings; he would never know if she was going to start screaming at him or suddenly burst into tears. You'd think that all the years of rejection at Hogwarts would've taught him that patience was the key with Lily; after all, it did take him seven years to convince her to give him a chance. _That was different though_, thought James. _She wasn't so emotional back then. _At least, not like she was now, laughing at something he said, then the next minute sobbing over the fact that their baby was going to be born during the war, and then being miserable because she and Petunia still weren't talking, and she didn't know when she would be able to see her sister again.

The mood swings seemed to worsen every month, as did the feelings of exhaustion. Lily didn't think it was anything to do with the stress from work, though being an auror _was_ a very demanding job. Despite the fact that he couldn't cope with her mood swings, James actually put up with Lily's food cravings quite well, though that might've been the fact that he could just transfigure something from the fridge into whatever she happened to feel like eating at the moment. And the food cravings _were_ quite bizarre, James had to admit. Just a few days ago, Lily had woken James up in the middle of the night, demanding some of the rock cakes that Hagrid used to make…

"R…rock cakes? As in Hagrid's rock cakes? Lils are you sure?" asked James nervously. Hagrid's rock cakes were infamous for being rock cakes in the literal sense, and he didn't want Lily's teeth to be all chipped because of some weird food craving.

"Yes James, I'm sure", said Lily. "I want one _now_, so you better go find one!" Reluctantly, James climbed out of bed slowly, in case she suddenly changed her mind again. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

"Hurry _up_ James, you don't want to upset a pregnant woman, I'm sure." Said Lily exasperatedly, poking James with her wand. "You know I'll hex you if I have to, if that's what it takes to get what I want. And you're not just doing it for me; it's for our baby too."

Half asleep, James made his way down to the kitchen to find something he could transfigure into Hagrid's rock cake. He probably could've actually asked Hagrid for some, but he didn't want to end up with a whole sack of cakes, knowing Hagrid's generosity. And plus, no one was actually going to eat those rock cakes, were they? Suddenly, James remembered a charm he had learnt to make objects go soft. He'd never tried it on food before though, but better to have a go than have Lily's teeth breaking. _"Madidus"_ he said, pointing his wand at the broccoli he had just transfigured into Hagrid's rock cake. Gingerly, he prodded the cake with his wand, and to his delight, found that it was now the softness of a normal cake.

Feeling very pleased with himself, James made his way back to the bedroom, and gave the rock cake to Lily. Giving him a dazzling smile, Lily bit into the cake and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" asked James timidly. She wasn't going to get _mad_ at him because the cake was soft, was she?

Oh yes, she was.

"IS SOMETHING WRONG? JAMES POTTER, I ASKED FOR A ROCK CAKE, NOT A SPONGE CAKE! WHY IS THIS SO SOFT? YOU _KNOW_ I DON'T LIKE SPONGE CAKES!!" With that, she threw the cake back at him and presumed to go back to sleep.

James took a deep breath. _You love Lily very much; you know she's only acting like this because she's pregnant. In another six months, this will all be over, and you'll have the normal, un-hormonal Lily back again. _With a wave of his wand, the cake disappeared, and James quietly crept into bed again. Never in his life was he so looking forward for summer to come.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and favourite/alerted this story! It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. ^^

Also, a big thank you to my beta **tasha27**.

The incantation for making an object soft was something I made up. Madidus just means 'soft' in latin. If it's not right, please let me know!!


	4. Fourth Month

**Disclaimer:** The usual

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**Fourth Month**

Lily found it hard to believe that she was already more than a third of the way through the pregnancy. By the fourth month, the morning sickness had gradually gone, just like the healer had told Lily. The healer had also told her that her heart might start to beat more rapidly, because of the change in hormones and circulating blood volume. As the baby inside her began to grow, Lily's stomach too, became more visible. Lily was so excited. She was going to be a mum!

To James' enormous relief, he hadn't been getting any more bizarre food craving requests from Lily, though as a result of that incident with the rock cakes, he was now having nightmares about being chased by rock cakes and Lily leaving him for Hagrid because he could actually _make_ hard rock cakes. _Hagrid_, of all people! Not that James had anything against Hagrid; after all, who didn't love the Hogwarts gamekeeper who thought of all magical creatures as cute little fluffy bunnies. Why was he having these dreams anyway? It wasn't as if _he_ was the one that was pregnant! James vaguely remembered the healer saying the mother might begin to have strange dreams in the coming months… or was it the father? Having been woken up by Lily at the most ridiculous times during the night for the past few weeks had made James extremely tired, and he wasn't thinking clearly. Sure, he was really fit from all those years of Quidditch, but there was only an extent to which his body could handle too. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and gradually nodded off to sleep.

"Ja-"said Lily coming into the room. She was going to ask him to go find her those really cute cupcakes from the shop near her house, but stopped herself upon seeing his sleeping form on the couch. Lily's face softened. She knew she was being a pain, asking him to find her an assortment of foods, but sometimes, she just simply _had_ to have the food! Plus, the mood swings probably weren't helping either; Lily knew that when it came to her, James was a very patient person, but she'd begun to suspect that he was probably close to breaking down as well.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Lily's mind. What if James didn't want to be with her anymore? What if he had finally had enough of her crazy mood swings and cravings and decided to leave her for another woman? Horrified, Lily recalled a conversation that James and Sirius had the other day. By the sound of things, they were talking about a girl…

--

"So I saw her when I was at Diagon Alley the other day, and I swear, it was love at first sight. She was just so beautiful." Said James to Sirius, who'd come over to their house to visit 'his two favourite people in the whole world'. Lily was napping in the living room, and James had taken the opportunity to tell his best friend about his apparent new found love.

"Love at first sight? Are you sure Prongs?" asked Sirius, his brow furrowing. He personally thought his best friend was going a little crazy because of Lily's recent behaviour.

"Yes! I'm sure of it! It was exactly the feeling I had when I first saw Lily all those years ago, maybe even stronger!" said James enthusiastically. "What do you think Padfoot? Should I go for it?"

--

Lily gasped, feeling the tears run down her cheeks. He was really going to leave her, wasn't he?

The gasp had woken James up. Startled, he opened his eyes to find Lily with tears pouring down her face, looking at him in disappointment. Jumping up from the couch, he asked, "Lily? What happened? Is something wrong? Are you in pain or something?"

Lily shook her head. "Is there something you would like to tell me, James?" she asked softly, her voice shaking.

Bewildered, James opened his mouth and closed it, wondering how on earth she could've found out. Running a hand through his disheveled hair, he took a deep breath and said, "Look, it was meant to be a surprise for you, but if you don't want one, I won't buy it," James replied.

"A surprise? What kind of a surprise is this, finding out that my husband is leaving me for another woman!" sobbed Lily.

"A-another woman?" asked James in confusion. "What other woman?"

"Don't pretend! I heard you and Sirius talking about it the other day when you thought I was asleep in here!"

"With Padfoot? B-but that was just me telling him about this beautiful cat I saw at the Apothecary! I knew you liked cats, and you'd always wanted one, so I was asking Padfoot if I should buy it for you as a present! I know it hasn't been easy for you, being pregnant, and I thought maybe…" said James, wondering what on earth his wife was going on about.

"See! You even said so yourself! A beautiful… wait what did you say? A cat?" asked Lily, not sure she had heard him correctly.

"Yes sweetie, a cat. You know, what McGonagall transforms into? The animal that goes meow?" replied James, now somewhat amused.

"So… you weren't going to leave me for another girl?"

"No Lily. I'm hurt you would even think of that. You know that you're the only one I love."

"But I've been so mean to you lately! Last month I threw cake in your face!"

"I know, Lily, I know. But I know it's because of the baby that you're acting like this."

Lily relaxed. James wasn't going to leave her after all! Putting her arms around his neck, she snuggled into his chest, breathing in his James-y smell. "I love you, you know that right?"

James chuckled. "Yes love, I know. I love you too." He said, kissing the top of her head.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and put this story on alert, especially** tasha27** who beta-ed this for me.

**Quidditch Is Cooler Than You** wanted me to write longer chapters, so I hope this is long enough? ^^

I researched all the facts about pregnancy symptoms and stuff online, so sorry if any of it is incorrect!!


	5. Fifth Month

**Disclaimer: **The usual

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**Fifth Month**

Winter had come and gone, and it was now spring already. Lily became more and more excited about being a mother for the first time, and would often be seen somewhere in the house, talking to her stomach with a loving expression on her face. Her belly was beginning to increase in size even more, and she could often feel the baby moving inside her.

The first time Lily had felt the baby moving, she was so surprised that she gave an ear-piercing shriek that led to James falling off the couch in fright. Upon seeing Lily's expression of absolute delight, James relaxed, "Merlin's beard Lily, don't _do_ that! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry!" Lily apologised. "But I just felt the baby kick me! You'd be screaming if you'd suddenly felt little Harry move too! It makes it so much more real! I mean, obviously I know there was a baby growing inside me, but I don't think it really hit me until this point. All of the morning sickness could've just been a really bad bug or something, but this! Wow James, I don't know how to explain it to you, I'm just so happy!" said Lily, her emerald eyes seeming to sparkle with happiness, a huge smile on her face. James hadn't seen her look this happy since the day of their wedding.

"Wow Lils! That's awesome! But uh, we only found it we were having a boy a few days ago and you've already thought of a name?" said James with a grin.

Lily laughed. "Well, I'd already had a few names in my head for if it was a boy or a girl anyway. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm not allowed to go out and fight like the other aurors, so it gives me a lot of free time, you know!"

"Harry Potter. You know, I like the sound of that." Said James, gently placing a hand on Lily's belly. "Hello, little Harry Potter. I'm your daddy James, only the most handsome man in the whole of Britain, Quidditch extraordinaire, and most talented auror the Ministry has seen in many years!"

"James!" scolded Lily. "Please! There's no need for little Harry to hear how wonderful his father is! His mother on the other hand…" Lily lowered her eyes to her belly, and placing a hand next to James', said in a tone much gentler than the one she had just used with James, "Hey there little guy. I'm your mummy Lily, and don't listen to what daddy just told you, he likes to think that." Lily grinned at James, "But when _you_ grow up, you're going to be even more handsome than daddy, better at Quidditch than daddy and a better auror too! What do you think, little Harry?"

"I think that's an awesome idea!" said a voice from the kitchen. "With both your brains and looks, I wouldn't be surprised if he started talking the moment you give birth to him."

Sirius walked into the living room where Lily and James were. "Hey Prongsie! Hey Lilikins! Talking to Sirius Junior again are we?"

Sirius_ Junior_?

Lily and James looked at each other, before James took a deep breath and said, "Uh, Padfoot? We're not naming our son Sirius."

Sirius' jaw dropped. "What? You're not? But whyyyyyyyyyyyy? Why oh why oh why? You promised me you would; otherwise I'm going to be very heartbroken! See, it's gonna break right down the middle." Said Sirius, miming a heart breaking into two pieces with his hands.

Lily burst into laughter. "Sirius, we did not say anything of the sort. You were drunk when we told you I was pregnant because your fling of the week had dumped you, remember?"

Sirius pouted. "No."

James chuckled. "Padfoot, you have such a bad memory. And did you honestly think that Lily and I were going to name our son after you? If Harry was going to be named something Junior, James would be the obvious choice, don't you think so?"

"I still think Sirius Junior sounds better though," Sirius muttered. "Harry, is that what you're going to call him?"

"Yeh. And not Harry Sirius Potter either." said James. "I know what you're thinking, Padfoot."

Sirius' eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know? Prongs, have you being hiding something from me? Can you actually do legilimency?"

James chortled. "Of course not! Padfoot, I've known you since we met in first year on the Hogwarts Express. How do I _not_ know what you're thinking?"

Sirius sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. What's his middle name gonna be then? James?"

"Harry James Potter." Murmured Lily. "It sounds nice, doesn't it James? Better than Harry Sirius Potter anyway," she giggled as Sirius stuck his tongue out at her in a very childish way, and got up from the couch.

"Where are you going Lils?" asked James.

"Oh, just to the toilet." Lily replied.

"Again? But you went an hour ago!" said James looking surprised.

Lily sighed. "I know, but I can't help it!"

Because little Harry was constantly growing bigger, more pressure was added to Lily's bladder, and she found that she needed to pee _all_ the time. It was a little frustrating, she had to admit, but little Harry's kicks to her stomach reminded her that he was growing every day, and that would brighten her mood again.

"It's because of the baby that Lilikins needs to go all the time; the bigger he grows, the more pressure he's putting on her bladder." Said Sirius, as if everyone in the world should know this. Lily and James looked at him in astonishment. Since when was Sirius such an expert on pregnant woman?

"What?" asked Sirius, noticing Lily and James' expression. "I do _read_ you know."

"Yes, but you're not about to become a dad! Why would you know something like this? Even _James_ didn't know. Unless," Lily gasped. "Your girlfriend's pregnant too, isn't she?" Being dumped by a girl seemed to have woken Sirius up that a new girlfriend every week simply wasn't going to work. Lily and James were already starting a family, for goodness sake! And so he'd been going out with the same girl for a few months now, surprisingly.

James looked horrified. "Padfoot! Really?"

"No no no! Stop jumping to conclusions you guys!" said Sirius with a laugh. "I knew that Lilikins was pregnant, and so I decided to go do some research."

"Research?" said Lily, looking confused.

"Well I wasn't going to such an irresponsible godfather that I didn't know anything about Harry until he was _born_!" retorted Sirius, raising his eyebrows at James. "It was the biggest sacrifice I've ever made you know," he sighed dramatically. "I'd never stepped inside a library before, even at Hogwarts. It's not good for my reputation, you see."

James at least had the decency to look embarrassed that his best friend knew things about pregnant women that he didn't even know about. And _he_ was the one becoming a father, not Sirius!

Lily laughed. "It's ok James, let's just be grateful that little Harry is such a good influence on his godfather. Imagine that, Sirius in a library reading books on pregnant women."

James and Sirius joined in laughing. "You won't tell anyone though, will you?" asked Sirius worriedly.

"Of course not, Padfoot! I would never do such a thing!" replied James, a twinkle in his eye. _This could come in handy_, thought James. _If Padfoot ever tried to say something bad about me, I could just threaten to tell everyone about him going into a library._

James grinned at Sirius. Life was good.

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**A/N:** Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed and alerted!!!!

Thanks also to **tasha27** for beta-ing this ^^

It's so much fun making fun of Sirius. He doesn't seem too OOC does he?


	6. Sixth Month

**Disclaimer:** The usual

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**Sixth Month**

Lily was now two-thirds of the way through her pregnancy, and her body was growing more and more rapidly to accustom little Harry's development. Talking to little Harry became a daily ritual, one that she and James found so much fun; really, it was as if the two of them were already fighting to be the better parent. Little Harry was moving about in Lily's stomach quiet frequently now, and only a few days ago, James had actually felt him kick for the first time…

James had his hand on Lily's belly, marvelling at how big it had become in the past few weeks. He was going to be a dad soon! James was so excited at the prospect of becoming a father, and to think, they were going to have a son! A mini version of James! Already, James had plans to teach him Quidditch- as soon as little Harry learnt to walk, he was going to teach him how to fly on a broomstick. Who needs to learn how to walk properly anyway, when flying was so much more important! This way, when little Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he could beat all the other kids with his excellent flying skills and undoubtedly good looks, thanks to the handsome features of his father that he had inherited.

Lily smiled at James. "Daydreaming again, are we?" she said teasingly. She knew that James was just as excited as she was about becoming parents, perhaps even more excited, for there was already a mini-Marauder on the way. Lily had to admit, she was a little disappointed that she wasn't having a girl that she could dress up all the time. Lily didn't seem to be the type of mother to absolutely fawn over her child, but she was pretty sure she was going to be as doting a parent as James.

James gave her one of those gorgeous, heart stopping smiles. "Yeh! I'm just so excited about becoming a dad!"

Lily laughed, and felt the baby kick her stomach. James' eyes widened. "Did he just kick you?" Lily nodded. "Galloping gargoyles! I just felt my son's first ever kick! Yippee yippee yay!!!" shouted James in absolute delight, picking Lily up and spinning her around.

"James! Please! Be careful!! And what exactly is yippee yippee yay?" laughed Lily as James gingerly placed her back on the couch.

"Sorry Lils! The excitement went to my head! Yippee yippee yay? I dunno, I heard Padfoot say it the other day, and I've been waiting to use the word ever since!"

---

Lily woke up with a gasp. She'd been having strange dreams, just as the Healer told her she would, but she wasn't sure if it was a dream at all; it had been so realistic. And her baby, little Harry, why oh why did he have to be killed by You-Know-Who? The tears spilled out of her emerald eyes so fast that her vision was suddenly blurred.

For Lily and James know knew of the Prophecy, and what it meant for them and their son Harry. It seemed only yesterday that she and James were getting all excited because James had felt little Harry kick for the first time, and just today, Dumbledore had come to them with a grave expression on his face, giving them the awful news.

"Lils? Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?" asked James, pulling her closer to him. Lily could only nod her head while James enveloped her in a reassuring hug. Drawing circles on her back, he said to her soothingly, "Shh, we'll be fine Lils; Dumbledore said we weren't without options. We'll get through this; we have to be strong. Strong for Harry." James' voice quivered slightly at the end. Somewhere, deep down, he had a feeling he wasn't going to be able to do all those things with Harry that he'd been daydreaming of. Angrily, he pushed those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't fall apart. He had to be strong for Lily. For Harry.

After awhile, Lily's sobs calmed down, until it was just drops of tears sliding down her face. "Thanks James. I don't know what I would do without you." With James' strong arms around her, it seemed like they would be okay after all. As long as they were together, they could do anything.

---

The next night, Lily woke up again in the middle of the night from a strange dream. It was just a dream Lily, she thought to herself. Don't get all worked up over it. Too much crying isn't good for the baby.

"Lils?" asked James sleepily, sensing that she was awake. "Did you have a bad dream again?" Lily nodded, trying to get the nasty images out of her mind. "But it wasn't do to with You-Know-Who", she said quickly, as James' expression became upset. He knew how much it was hurting her, these dreams, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to make them go away.

"It wasn't?" asked James. "Then why are you looking so terrified?"

"Well… don't laugh at me ok?" said Lily. "It was a really scary dream!"

"Tell me about it." Coaxed James. "It'll make you feel better." He could sense that by scary, Lily wasn't referring to horror scary, but more like another type of scary; he just didn't know how to describe it.

Lily sighed. "I dreamt that I had the baby. And when the Healer gave him to us, he looked exactly like Hagrid, complete with bushy hair and beard. Except that his hair was the same shade of blonde as Petunia's. And he had grey eyes, like Sirius." James suppressed the urge to laugh, nodding in encouragement for Lily to continue.

"And remember how Sirius said that our baby would probably start to talk the minute he was born?" Lily asked James, who nodded again to show he remembered. "Well he did! The first thing the baby said when the Healer gave him to me was, "Why are you naming me Harry? I want to be called Sirius!" Lily shivered, still attempting to clear the images of the baby from her mind.

James couldn't help but give a small chuckle. "So this is what you were terrified of huh? And to think, a few months ago I was having dreams of you running off with Hagrid! Don't worry Lils, it's just the stress of everything, and this is our brain's way of relieving the stress, by messing with our dreams. And don't forget, the Healer did say you were going to have strange dreams."

Lily didn't look too convinced. She was half asleep again by this point, and wasn't thinking too clearly. "Really?"

"Yes Lily." Said James. "Now go back to sleep. Padfoot's coming to visit tomorrow, and you know how much energy it requires whenever he's around."

James didn't need to say anymore. Lily had already fallen asleep again.

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**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/ alerted, it really means alot to me ^__^

Thank you to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me


	7. Seventh Month

**Disclaimer:** The usual

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**Seventh Month**

If Lily thought the strange dreams she'd been getting were bad, they were nothing compared to the changes in her body during the seventh month of the pregnancy. As little Harry was getting bigger, she began to develop severe back pains as a result of the extra weight she was carrying, and her joints were beginning to loosen. At the last check up, in which the Healer told the proud parents that everything seemed to be normal, she also told them that the baby could now hear their voices properly, as well as sounds surrounding the mother.

Although it was not yet summer, Lily was already beginning to sweat and feel hot a lot of the time, even when it was cool. The healer had said this was because her metabolism was intensifying, but Lily wasn't sure she knew what that meant. All that she knew that she was breaking out in sweats; it never seemed cool enough anymore. As she was already now on maternity leave, Lily was home all day, and this did nothing to improve her mood. Luckily for her, James was able to return home from work relatively early each day, and Remus often popped by to keep her company, so Lily was never really alone.

The dreams that Lily was now having were all to do with little Harry or having childbirth. No matter how much she looking forward to finally see little Harry, childbirth was something Lily wasn't anticipating in excitement. She only hoped that he wouldn't give her too hard a time and drag out the process for too long. Often, the dreams were very vivid, including last night's, which involved painful contractions for twelve hours, and then another two hours to actually give birth. James, on the other hand, was starting to become slightly paranoid, as because of the dreams Lily told him, was half expecting her water to suddenly break, even though the due date wasn't for another two months.

Due to the ever growing belly, Lily felt that she was becoming more and more clumsy, as her centre of gravity had shifted to accommodate the weight of both her and Harry. She often found herself knocking things over by accident, and it was at times like this that Lily was very grateful that she was a witch. Whoever invented _reparo_ was a genius, really. They didn't know how much money they were saving everyone, especially the clumsy, pregnant women of the world! In addition, the swelling stomach meant Lily couldn't see her feet anymore, and she was now prone to waddling instead of walking….

Lily wasn't sure when it happened, but when she got out bed and stood up one day, she realised something.

_She could no longer see her feet._

Unsure if it was perhaps the angle she was standing at, Lily shifted so she was standing upright, and looked down.

_Nope, still couldn't see her feet._

It was then that she realised just how big she was getting. For all her life, Lily had been petite. She had curves in all the right places, but she didn't have the baby fat that some of the girls did. So even though she knew she was gaining weight because of little Harry, she still couldn't help worry about the way she looked. Lily shook her head to clear her thoughts. _She was a married woman for Merlin's sake! And James would love her, even if she turned out to be the size of Vernon Dursley. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration; Vernon Dursley was one huge whale. Oops, did she say whale? She meant man._

--

Lily sighed and closed her eyes. The back aches were _killing_ her. She knew there was some kind of potion that could be prepared to soothe these kind of pains, but, just as with the dreamless sleep potion, Lily refused to take them on the pretext that it could bring about harm to little Harry.

"Hey Lils," said James softly, "You awake?"

"Yeh, I am." Lily replied, and winced as she turned to her side in an attempt to relieve some of the pain in her back.

James noticed the pain in Lily's face and said to her, "Turn around."

"What?" said Lily in confusion.

"Turn around." James repeated. "So your back is facing me."

"Why?" _Lily only seemed capable of short sentences today,_ James noticed.

"So I can give you a back massage, that's why!" said James half exasperatedly. A pregnant Lily was _so_ difficult sometimes.

"Oh. Ok then." Lily replied, gingerly turning away from him.

"This would work better if you could lie on your belly, but since that's not the greatest thing to do now, this will have to do." Said James. He started by applying pressure to both sides of Lily's spine simultaneously, beginning at her lower back, and kneading gently up to her neck. He could feel her body relaxing already; there was a lot of tension that had being built up. He then slid his palms in opposite directions towards the sides of her back, up her back towards her shoulders. Kneading the fleshy area at the top of Lily's shoulders and mid-back, James could feel Lily's muscles beginning to loosen, and she sighed in contentment.

"Thanks James. You don't know how good that feels. I've been feeling like an old woman all day, with my back pains." Said Lily.

James grinned at her whilst using his thumbs to apply more pressure to the tighter areas in her back. "Anything for you love, I can't even imagine what you've been through these last few months. First all those months of morning sicknesses, then your mood swings and food cravings, and lately those dreams. And oh, who could forget the constant need to pee."

Lily laughed. "You _know_ it's not my fault! Blame it on little Harry, if you must!"

James looked at Lily in what was supposedly a disapproving way. "Don't try and blame someone else, Mrs. Potter. It's your own fault you have such a weak bladder." He said to her teasingly.

Lily gave him her sternest look, and sat up again, to go to the toilet. Talk about bad timing. James started to laugh as soon as she stood up, realizing where she was heading for.

"What did I tell you Lily, what did I tell you."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you once again to everyone who reviewed/ alerted this story! Might have to wait a little longer for the next chapter coz I'm flying out of the country tomorrow!

Thanks to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me!

Does the massage bit seem a bit too informative and less narrative? Coz I had no idea how to describe a massage properly, so I had to research it online XD


	8. Eighth Month

**Disclaimer**: The usual

* * *

**Eighth Month**

Summer was just a month away, and Lily couldn't wait to see little Harry at last. She had accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be able to walk normally until the baby was born, and did the best she could by waddling. Lily found that she tired very easily nowadays, and the back aches seemed to be getting worse, but luckily, James was there to give her a massage whenever she wanted.

Lily felt that she was slowly becoming nocturnal. During the day, all she ever wanted to do was sleep, and at night she couldn't seem to fall asleep at all! It was irritating, she knew, but if it meant that little Harry was growing stronger and stronger, then Lily was willing to sacrifice her own sleeping habits. Lily was now also beginning to feel what the Healer had called 'false contractions', which was just the muscles making themselves stronger, for when Lily would give birth next month.

Next month, thought Lily excitedly. After so many months, she was finally going to be able to see little Harry! Her son! Lily often thought about Harry would look like; she really hoped the dream about the blonde hair and Hagrid like features weren't true. Would he have her hair colour or James'? Emerald eyes or hazel eyes? Slowly, Lily made her way to the baby's room. She and James had finally finished decorating it a few days ago, despite the many arguments over how the room should look…

--

"Red and gold, for Gryffindor of course!" Said James jumping up and down in excitement.

"James! Calm down! You're acting like a little boy." Lily laughed. "I don't know James, I was thinking maybe a pale blue?"

"Pale blue?" asked James, wrinkling his nose in confusion. "Why would you want that?"

"Well, in the muggle world, pale blue always meant a baby boy and pale pink a baby girl…" Said Lily, who honestly thought that red and gold was a bit _too_ much for little Harry. And besides, she read in a book somewhere that red walls make you hungry. She didn't want Harry to be hungry all the time!

"Fine. Why don't we paint the ceiling pale blue and the walls red and gold?" suggested James cheerfully. Honestly. Blue? James didn't see what pale blue had to do with baby boys, but if Lily wanted it, maybe they should compromise.

"James, if anything, it should be the ceiling that's painted red and gold, and the walls pale blue." Said Lily. Why were they disagreeing over what colour to paint the walls? _Honestly_.

In the end, they decided not to paint the walls pale blue or red and gold, but a soft pale green colour. James had initially wanted the walls to be emerald like Lily's eyes, but Lily thought that might've been a bit too much for little Harry. So in the end, they agreed to a soft pale green. Lily liked it because it was closer to pale blue, and James liked it because it was the closest he could persuade Lily to paint the walls like the colour of her eyes.

--

Although she wasn't hungry, Lily made her way to the kitchen for some food, knowing she needed the energy not only for her own body, but for little Harry too. Not surprisingly, she found Sirius in the kitchen, no doubt to see what he could scrap off her.

"Hey Lils! How's Harry?" It seemed that Sirius had finally accepted that Lily and James were not going to name their son after him, first name or middle name, and he'd given up trying to persuade them to change their minds again! After all, there was always the possibility of Lily becoming pregnant again, and this time, they couldn't possibly refuse to name their child after him. _Sirius Potter_. Hmm, he liked the sound of that.

"Hey Sirius! Harry is good! Still growing every day, making his mummy waddle like a duck." Lily said with a laugh.

Sirius laughed. "Don't worry Lils, next month, it'll all be over."

Lily nodded in agreement. "I know, I can't wait! Right now, I'm feeling tired and sweaty all the time."

"Have you been drinking enough water?" asked Sirius. "It's one of the reasons why you're tired, because you're dehydrated."

Lily stared at Sirius in shock. She still couldn't get used to the fact that Sirius knew all of this. Maybe there really was something he was hiding from them…

Sirius chuckled. "I know what you're thinking Lils, and I'm really not hiding anything from you."

"You know, Sirius, with all this stuff you've been learning, you could actually go train to become a Healer." Lily suggested to him. "And you know, there will probably be lots of really pretty girls who would want you to heal them…" Lily said with a giggle.

Sirius chuckled. "No thanks Lils. You know how I am. Can't really stand the sight of blood. I'll just stick to being your personal pregnancy advisor."

"Personal pregnancy advisor? I like that. So, what do you suggest I do to bring up my energy levels, advisor?" Lily asked Sirius jokingly.

"Exercise." Said Sirius solemnly. "It'll increase your energy levels during the pregnancy and build up your stamina for when you actually go into labour."

Lily blinked at Sirius. She wasn't actually expecting him to give her an answer. He really was taking his godfather role seriously, wasn't he?

"But nothing too vigorous of course, you don't want to harm the baby." Sirius added.

--

When James arrived home from work later that day, he was shocked to find his wife dancing in the living room while Sirius sang along in an absolutely terrible voice.

"Uh, what's going on here?" James asked.

"Prongs!" shouted Sirius in delight. "Lilikins is just doing some exercise to keep her energy levels up. Want to come join us? I don't know why she has ear plugs in her ears though!"

James chuckled. "Maybe because she doesn't want to hear your voice." He suggested.

Sirius looked insulted. "Are you saying I don't have a nice voice?"

Lily, who had finally noticed that James was home, took out her earplugs gave James a hug. "Thank goodness you're home! I didn't know how to get Sirius to stop singing!"

"What's wrong with my singing?" Sirius huffed.

"Nothing, nothing at all," said Lily airily. "Now who wants some dinner?"

"Ooh me me me!" Sirius exclaimed in delight.

Lily smiled. _No more singing tonight.

* * *

_

**A/N:** Sorry for posting this chapter later! I tried connecting to the internet as soon as I got home, but that took awhile... Anyways thank you so much to everyone for reviewing/ alerting this story! Especially to **tasha27** for beta-ing!!!!

Last chapter will be up tomorrow! Aw how sad! I'm going to miss writing about Lily and James everyday! Maybe I'll do a sequel to this story..


	9. Ninth Month

**Disclaimer: **The usual

* * *

**Ninth Month**

Now in the last month of her pregnancy, Lily was getting very nervous, and became restless a lot of the time. She would spend hours cleaning the house over and over again, and stocking up on food for little Harry. James was terrified that Lily was going to wear herself out, but every time he suggested that she rest, she would snap at him, muttering that _he_ wasn't the one about to have the baby; the least he could do was be _quiet_.

James was a little scared of the angry Lily. He could take it when she had a sudden burst of anger, but this was different. She seemed to be in a bad mood _all the time_. Now that summer had indeed arrived, James wished that time would pass by more slowly; he was having fears about being a father. Sure, he was excited that the 'normal' Lily would be back, but what about everything else? Could he handle the stress of being a father, on top of everything else that was going on?

Lily too, had fears of her own, feeling on the verge of tears all the time now. What if she didn't realise when her water was breaking? What if the little Harry was born without an arm or a leg? What if he had some sort of disease that the Healer hadn't detected? So many what ifs, Lily thought to herself as she tried to fall asleep. It was difficult finding a comfortable position with such a large belly, and even when she did fall asleep, all she could think about was the baby.

---

_July 31_

As each day progressed, Lily became more and more worried, and her mood swings came back again. So on the particular morning of July 31, James and Sirius finally decided Lily needed some cheering up. Not only that, they needed to de-stress too! A prank was out of the question; they were too mature for that now, and so, being the creative boys they were, decided to play a game. The opposite's game, where they took turns asking each other questions, and had to answer the opposite of what was actually true. The person who answered the most questions without a mistake would win a whole range of sweets from Honeydukes, which Sirius had been eyeing eagerly ever since he arrived.

"Okay okay, ask me first!" said Sirius happily. He had a feeling they were going to have heaps of fun today, and no angry Lily!

"Alright Padfoot, now, I've wanted to know this for a really long time. Don't get angry at me though." Said James.

"Of course not Prongsie! Ask away!"

"Are you actually gay? Is that why you've never had a girlfriend for more than a few months?" James asked very solemnly.

Sirius looked horrified. "NO! Of course I'm not! I'm a ladies' man! I, Sirius Black am not-" He stopped mid-sentence, and remembered they were playing a game. Lily and James were already laughing so hard they couldn't talk. Gasping for breath, James managed to splutter out, "Padfoot… out… game…"

Sirius pouted. "No fair! I wasn't ready! That didn't count! Oh come on, you're not going to make me lose already are you? That was only the first question! This is so embarrassing!"

Lily shook her head. "Sorry, Sirius. You know the rules."

"Fine." Said Sirius. "But I'm asking the next question. Prongs! Stop laughing and pay attention to me." James was still rolling around on the floor. _Who knew Sirius was so touchy about his sexuality? _

"Okay Prongs, you didn't actually fall in love with Lily when you first saw her all those years ago, did you?" said Sirius with a triumphant smile. James was going to fall into the trap, just as he did.

James looked indignant. "Ye-NO! Of course not! Who fell in love at eleven anyway?" He replied. _Phew._ For a moment there he almost forgot that they were playing a game.

Sirius looked so disappointed that James didn't fall into his trap. "Okay Lilikins, your turn!" said Sirius, now facing Lily, who smiled encouragingly at him. "Admit it; you hated Snivellus from the very beginning, just like we did, didn't you?"

Lily grinned. She wasn't about to be tricked. She wasn't top of the class all those years, house prefect, and Head Girl at Hogwarts for nothing. "Yes, of course I did, he was such a bullying git who was obsessed with the Dark Arts."

Sirius grinned. "See Prongsie? I told you Lilikins was the same as us! She didn't like Snivellus either." Said Sirius with a grin.

James looked at Sirius with a worried expression on his face. "Padfoot? Have you already forgotten that we're playing a game here? Lily said that she hated him because she actually didn't. What were you doing last night anyway? Did you go out drinking again?"

Sirius laughed. "No no no! Of course not! I just, had a few drinks, that's all! I'm fine, really."

James shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so."

The game continued like this for the next hour or so, with James and Lily answering questions in turn. Sirius was a little irritated that he had managed to lose in the first question. Why was _he_ the only one to be tricked? Sighing, he asked Lily the next question.

"Hey Lils, you know, I'm surprised your water hasn't broken yet. Your due date was two days ago, don't you think something would've happened by now? Has your water broken yet?" Sirius asked.

Suddenly, Lily gave a loud gasp as she felt a popping sensation. "Yes! I think it just broke!"

Sirius laughed. "Okay, that means it hasn't broken yet, right? Okay Prongsie, next question for you! What-"

"No, I'm serious, I think my water just broke!" Lily said.

Sirius sighed. "Lilikins, wait your turn."

Lily gave an impatient sigh, and Sirius looked at her. Then at James. Then back at Lily again.

"You're serious, aren't you?" he finally said.

"YES! Now which one of you is going to take me to St. Mungo's before I deliver the baby right here!" Lily screamed.

James and Sirius looked at each other.

_Crap._

Sirius stood up and gathered the things that Lily would need at the hospital, while James gently helped Lily to stand up so they could apparate to the hospital.

With a loud crack, the three disappeared from their house in Godric's Hollow and arrived at St. Mungo's…

* * *

"Help! Someone! My wife is having a baby!" James yelled as they arrived. Lily was wincing; her contractions had already started. _Oh god, this was really happening now, wasn't it?_

Two healers came and helped Lily onto a hospital bed, and looked at James. "Will you be accompanying her?"

"Yes! Of course!" James said. He wasn't going to miss this for the world.

The healer nodded. "Come with me please, you'll need to change."

James looked at Sirius. "Padfoot, can you just stay out here, I know you don't like the sight of blood."

Sirius sighed in relief and nodded. For a moment he thought James was going to ask him to go with them. "Sure Prongs. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" James yelled as he disappeared down a hall with the healer, where Lily had already been wheeled in.

---

Lily screamed as another contraction came. She was holding onto James' hand so tightly he thought his fingers would fall off. Even _Hagrid_ didn't seem to have this much strength. Where was it all coming from? Lily was so_ small._

"Push, sweetie, you need to push harder." The Healer said to Lily.

"I'm _trying_." Lily replied, her face glistening with sweat and tears.

"Okay Lily, you're doing great, I think the baby is ready to come out!" The Healer told her. "Now push as hard as you can, the baby needs to come out!"

Lily screamed so loudly James wished he had bought a pair of earplugs. "JAMES POTTER! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY! DON'T JUST STAND THERE LOOKING HORRIFIED, IT'S NOT HELPING ME! AT LEAST SAY SOMETHING TO DISTRACT ME!"

James winced as she squeezed his hand even harder. "Okay Lily, you can do this, just push a little harder, and you'll be able to see baby Harry. You're going to be a mother Lily, just _PUSH_!" James screamed too as Lily pushed as hard as she could, squeezing his hand until his fingers had started to turn purple. His words seemed to have encouraged her, and she gave one last push, before the Healer told them, "It's over! Congratulations, you have a baby boy!"

Lily lay back in her pillows, exhausted. That was definitely the most difficult thing she'd ever done in her life. Slowly, she loosened her grip on James' hand and brought it to eye level. She was horrified to see that it had turned a nasty shade of purple.

"Did I do that?" she asked James in dismay. When James nodded, Lily looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Oh James, I'm so sorry, I couldn't help it. The pain…"

James placed his finger on her lips. "Shh, it's ok Lils, my hand hasn't been through even half of what you've been through these last nine months. I'm sure it'll heal in no time."

The Healer walked in, carrying Harry in a little bundle.

"Lily? Here's your little baby."

Carefully, Lily held her arms out to hold Harry, smiling at the little bundle that was her son.

Lily gave a sigh of relief. Harry looked exactly like James; not like Hagrid like in the dreams she'd been having for the past few months. So she was pleasantly surprised when little Harry opened his eyes, and she found herself staring into emerald orbs that looked exactly like her own.

"Wow." James breathed excited. "He's got your eyes, but he looks exactly like me!" James smiled at Lily. "We're parents now, can you believe that?"

Lily smiled. "Yes, we are, aren't we?"

_And so they were. 9 months, 333 days, 7992 hours later, Lily and James Potter were proud parents of Harry James Potter._

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** And it's over now! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, alerted or favourite this story! It was my first every Harry Potter/ James Lily fanfic, and I wasn't sure what people would think of my style of writing or just the idea of this story in general.

A special thank you to **tasha27** and **hptwilightlvr** for reviewing every chapter, those reviews really meant alot to me ^^

As always, a big thank you to **tasha27** for beta-ing this for me! If anyone hasn't, go check out her stories coz they are awesome and will make you love Lily and James even more, if you don't already. =]

I'm not sure if I'm wrote out the actual birthing too briefly, but I supposed people wouldn't want too much details... :P

So I was thinking I might write a sequel of this about James and Lily being parents, ups and downs they have, getting use to having another person in their lives... what do you think?


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